My husband built new bookcases and cabinets on either side of the fireplace and we got ride of the old entertainment center. All of the sound equipment went into the cabinets and the T.V. was moved downstairs (we hardly ever watch T.V. so we don't miss it in the living room anyway). This week's project is putting up all new crown molding in the living room and dining room - I'll post pictures when we're done with that part. It's shaping up nicely. BEFORE: AFTER:

Painting the cabs to a high standard is an investment in both time and money I would not do in a rental. Also, is the owner supplying the paint for the walls? As a landlord and a former renter, I would make sure that any colors chosen get the owners approval first. As to what shade could work best for you on the walls, can you share more pics? Agree with you that the current shade isn't working. And I would most likely paint out that bit of white trim to match the new wall colour, if the landlord approves.

Wow, thank you all for the great suggestions! Replacing furniture is not an option - if we end up moving it will be a downsize, so not looking for new furniture Definitely like the idea of a new rug. Is it necessary that the chairs are entirely on the rug? That would require an 8x10. Won't be too big for the space? Already planned on replacing the fireplace doors with black. The brass is also from 80s Fan is also an 80s throwback. It does help with airflow in the room, but is not attractive. Shelves are adjustable expect for the top triangle. There are can lights on either side of the fireplace which are not visible in the orig photo. I typically use these only at night because I don't like ceiling fan lights. Here are more photos of the area. The kitchen and breakfast room are to the left and used to have the same oak cabinets, trim and crown. Breakfast room also had stained windows, trim, and chair rail (i.e. all 3 rooms were stained to match). A few years ago we remodeled this in white but did not touch the adjoining family room. My initial thought was to make the bookcases match the kitchen cabinets. But maybe just changing décor as suggested will suffice.

If you can upload some photos I think you will get a lot more helpful advice :)